Padres Rumors: A.J. Preller on the Prowl For a Shortstop?

The San Diego Padres dramatic deal on the eve of opening day was something the baseball community immediately took notice to. The Padres are in it to win, and the team is upgrading at almost every position. These two tweets surfaced Tuesday morning regarding the Padres potential interest in a shortstop. Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY sports brings us the tweets.

When I see this, it make me excited to be a Padres fan. The team and its general manager are not just sitting back, they are being very active. The team is built to win now, and A.J. Preller will do whatever needed to field a championship team. Very exciting times to be a Padres fan. However it’s worth noting that the shortstop position is pretty bare. Not very many teams have depth at that position. It has been the Padres main concern, but yet hasn’t been addressed. Time will only tell what can be done at that position.

The #Padres and aggressive A.J Preller still aren’t done dealing. They are now scouring the shortstop market, teams say.

Now the acquisition of Craig Kimbrel on the eve of Opening Day was a shock. Not for the fact Cameron Maybin and Carlos Quentin were traded, but the fact A.J. Preller once again waved his magic wand and the Padres attained arguably the best closer in the game. Hearing AJ Preller speak on air during the Padres opener vs the Los Angeles Dodgers, he said he was in evaluation mode. He talked about evaluating what the team has for now and didn’t seem eager to make a move once again.

Then again, why would the man speak about his intentions to the world? I am sure he has been looking for a shortstop upgrade for a while now, there just aren’t that many players available at short. Starlin Castro is likely available due to the readiness of talented young shortstop Addison Russell. The Chicago Cubs would surely like to move Castro, but he, in my opinion comes with many red flags. We will see what A.J. Preller and the Padres have up their sleeve. The team is surely not complete and Padres ownership is committed to wining. As a long time Padres fan, it is truly a great time to live in America’s Finest City.